Bruce and Cat: The Court of Owls
by The-Riddler95
Summary: After discovering a secret room right inside Wayne manor, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle threaten to thrust all of Gotham into a horrendous plot for control of the city, and one that may shape Bruce Wayne's future forever. Now, they must investigate, no matter the cost.
1. The Court Awakens

_After the events of 'All Happy Families are Alike,' Selina Kyle goes back to Wayne Manor to avoid any of Falcone's remaining goons._

After wandering the manor for a while, Selina Kyle had seen every inch of the gigantic mansion, except for one room she was determined to figure out the contents of. She was always curious like that, and spent many nights wondering what lay behind the wooden doors. One day she decided to ask Bruce.

"Hey, kid." She surprised him one day, crawling through his bedroom window and sneaking up on him looking at files from his parent's murder. He could hardly go a day without flipping through those gruesome reports.

Bruce perked up hearing Selina's voice and turned around to face her. "Hello, Selina."

"How come that door on the top floor is always locked?"

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "What door are you talking about?"

Selina sighed, exasperated. "Oh, come on. There's a big scary door right in your house and you don't want to know what's behind it?"

"It's the same size as every other door and made of wood."

Crossing her arms, Selina smirked. "So you _do_ know what I'm talking about."

Bruce gave up trying to lie. Selina could always see through him.

"My dad always kept it locked. I asked him what was inside once, and he called it business stuff."

Selina grinned. "So that means there are keys?"

Bruce shrugged. "Alfred is the only one who knows where the keys are."

"So do you think he'll say yes if we ask him, or am I going to have to steal them?"

Without stopping to hear Bruce's response, Selina headed downstairs to find Alfred the butler sleeping on the couch. His key ring was hooked on his suit pocket like it always was, almost glaring at Selina, challenging her to steal them.

Unfortunately, Alfred was not a heavy sleeper. The second Selina got within a foot of him, he shot up.

"What do you think you're doing?" he barked.

Selina decided not to lie. "What's behind the locked door on the top floor?"

"Poking your nose where it doesn't belong again, you cheeky little minx?"

Selina sighed. "I already went through this with Bruce; don't tell me you're not curious too."

Alfred looked around the room for some reason. No one was hearing their conversation. Turning back to Selina, he whispered, "I've been wondering what's been inside that bloody room for thirty years, ever since I've been a butler here."

"So why don't you just find out?"

"Thomas Wayne instructed Bruce and I to never open the door under any circumstances, and to disobey him would be to disgrace his grave."

Selina thought for a second, and then smirked. "Thomas Wayne never said I couldn't open it."

"You know, normally I would object to your behaviour. But if I have to go one more blasted day not knowing what's in that room, I'm going to blow up the bloody mansion."

With Bruce and Selina watching intently, Alfred made his way up to the old wooden door and put the key in. The three didn't even breathe when the butler turned the key and pushed the door open. They practically tripped over each other to see what was inside.

The room was small, and square. The walls and floor were white, and the room was only maybe four meters by four meters. The walls were chipping, but bare except for a small safe in the center of the far wall. The metal safe was rusting, and it was opened by means of combination.

Most chilling of all though was on the floor. The skeletons of an owl and its two chicks, lying on the ground near a still-intact nest made Bruce wince a bit. It must have been locked in here and died of starvation. The complete decomposition, leave some feathers on the floor, meant they must have been there for decades.

"What is this place?" asked Selina, gazing at the barren room and dead owls.

"What's inside that safe?" asked Bruce.

Alfred couldn't say anything. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if Bruce's father knew what was in the room or what it was for or what was in the safe. He planned to call someone to open the damn thing the next day and find out what the room was really about.

For the time being though, Bruce decided to go back to his room to process what he just saw. He didn't want to call the police in case there was something useful in the room, or something in the safe that could help him solve his parent's murder. Selina, on the other hand, decided to wander the room a little bit. She prodded the walls for any secret doors or buttons and poked around the safe for a while, trying to figure out the combination. After a hundred random combinations all failing, she decided to go back to Bruce's room.

Just as usual, she found Bruce flipping through his murder files frantically, along with the ones from Wayne Enterprises. He was reading everything again.

"That was kind of messed up, kid." Selina said, walking up next to him and pretending to take interest in his murder files. Bruce ignored her and kept reading, frantically like he did every time a new clue came up. Selina just kept talking. "What do you think your dad was doing with that creepy room?"

"I don't understand." Bruce sighs, dropping his files and turning in his chair. "Why would my father devote an entire room to one safe? It doesn't make sense."

Selina thought for a bit. "It could be someone else's safe. It would make sense that they would buy a room in the manor to store something in."

"But who would buy out a room in the manor just to store something? They must have needed it inside the manor."

Selina chuckled a bit, trying to lighten the mood. "The way you say it, it might as well be a bomb."

Bruce stopped in his tracks like a deer in headlights and stared at Selina, the plausibility of her statement scaring him. "Or my dad is keeping a bomb in the manor. That way he could get rid of something fast if he needed to and get rid of all the evidence."

"That's crazy. Your dad wasn't a serial killer or anything, right?"

Bruce shook his head. "No, he wasn't. But even good men have secrets."

Selina thought again for a bit. "Barbara's really high up in society. I'll go ask her if she knows anything."

Nodding, and then going back to his files, Bruce mumbled, "I'd appreciate that. Thank you."

Going back out the window and slinking down to the ground, Selina ran off through the streets to Barbara Keane's apartment. It was almost as easy as sneaking into Wayne manor, and after a quick and easy climb up the brick wall and a jump onto the balcony, she found herself facing the open door of Barbara's deluxe apartment.

She saw Ivy lying on the couch, and someone, probably Barbara, cooking dinner in the kitchen. Selina stepped inside and looked around.

"Selina, is that you?" Barbara called from the kitchen.

Selina yelled back, "Yeah, it's me."

Coming out from behind the kitchen doors, Barbara smiled when she saw Selina. "I didn't know you were coming. I only made dinner for Ivy and I, but if you want, I can crack open a can of soup or something. I think I have some sandwiches in the fridge."

"Nah, it's cool. I just wanted to pop by and ask a question."

Barbara took off her oven mitts and sat down in a comfy chair, prodding Selina to sit down next to her. "Ask away."

"So I was staying at Wayne Manor for a bit, and there's this weird room that was always locked. Our butler finally opened it a little bit ago, and there's this dead family of owls and a safe in the wall."

"Wait, wait." Barbara interrupted. "Your butler?"

"See, this is the kind of thing you tell people about." Ivy shot up in disbelief.

Selina just shook her head. "Anyway, do you know anything about the room? You're high society and stuff, right?"

Barbara thought for a bit. "I only talked to Thomas Wayne at balls and stuff. He was always really guarded."

Then she thought a little bit harder, and finally said something helpful.

"When I bought this apartment off of the mayor's ex-wife, he told me there was a room in the back he had lost the key for. I could never open it. Was that helpful?"

"Can I see it?"

Barbara nodded and walked Selina and Ivy to the back of the apartment, where a wooden door glared at them. It was the exact same door as the one in Wayne manor, with the exact same lock.

"I have to go back to Wayne manor." said Selina, hurriedly.

Barbara looked at her, confused. "Is something wrong?"

Without answering, Selina leapt out the window and made her way back to Wayne manor.

While this was happening, Bruce went back to prodding around the secret room after he finished uneventfully reading through all of his detective files. He poked around every inch of the white walls and even got the nerve to look around the owl skeletons.

The safe in the wall was the most curious part of the room though. After about an hour of prodding and the sun going down, Bruce only came across one clue. Where the wall around the safe was chipping, there was an engraving on the walls of the safe, partially covered by the remaining wall. The chipping revealed enough that Bruce could make out writing on the top next to some symbols, ' _The Court of Owls'_

He was about to go to bed when Alfred came in to tuck him in. Bruce didn't see any point in hiding it from him.

"Hey, Alfred?" he asked, tucked in bed, ready to go to sleep.

Alfred turned back to him, surprised. "Yes, Master Bruce?"

"What do you know about the Court of Owls?"

Alfred sighed and sat down on Bruce's bed. "It's an old bedtime story parents in Gotham used to tell their kids to spook the mickey out of them. My old mum and dad told it to me a fair amount of times."

Bruce didn't say anything, meaning he wanted Alfred to tell the story.

Alfred didn't want to. It wouldn't lead to anything good, but once Bruce had his mind on something, he wouldn't stop until he got it. "The story goes that during a secret time, Gotham's most powerful men and women get an invitation to join the Court of Owls. From there, they'd patrol Gotham secretly and rule the city from the shadows. If anyone ever defied their rule, they'd punish them, by means of an assassin called the Talon."

"Gotham's most powerful?" Bruce asked. "Does that include the Waynes?"

Alfred continued. "There's a nursery rhyme that says: Beware the Court of Owls that watches all the time, gazing from a shadowed perch behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, and they watch you at your bed. Speak not a whispered word of them, lest the Talon come for your head."

Bruce thought it best not to tell Alfred about the safe. There was no need to worry him, and when a person opened it the next day, it'd all be over.

"Anyway, it's a nasty story, and I thought it had retired." Alfred got up, brushed himself off and started to leave. "Goodnight, Master Bruce."

Alfred left the room and closed the door, leaving Bruce to sleep. After maybe an hour, Bruce had drifted off to sleep. It was completely dark outside when he was awoken by a tapping at his window. It took him a while to get the energy to get up and look, and Selina was sitting on his windowsill, tapping on the glass. He wondered why she didn't just come inside, but got up and opened the window.

Selina collapsed inside, falling onto the floor. Bruce screamed in alarm and got down to help her. Her black leather jacket was torn, and throwing knives were buried in her arms and torso. There were bruises and cuts all along her face and body. Alfred had heard Bruce's scream and ran up to his room. He saw Selina on the ground, unconscious, and darted over to the window to help her onto Bruce's bed.

As soon as she was on the bed, a trail of blood marking her path, Alfred ran back downstairs to find the medical kit, and Bruce sat next to her trying to bring her back to consciousness. Her chest was rising and falling frantically, meaning she was still breathing.

"Selina," Bruce whispered frantically, "Selina, what happened?"

All Selina could manage was a half-whisper. "Assassins… He… Owl mask…"

Bruce's heart sunk in his chest, his body almost threatening to give out and throw up. That meant the Court of Owls was real, and they knew he had opened the room. That was just a warning not to open the safe or dig any further.

"Kid… I," was all Selina managed to whisper before going unconscious again, leaving Bruce screaming her name.

When she woke up in the morning, Selina was wearing her ripped jeans and a black tank top, with one of Bruce's blue plaid dress-shirts on to keep her warm. There were bandages around her wounds, including one on her cheek to cover the cut. She groaned, and looked to find herself on the bed in Bruce's room, Bruce sitting in a chair next to her.

"Selina, you're awake!" Bruce smiled warmly, helping Selina sit up.

"Why am I dressed like a nerd?" she asked, making Bruce laugh.

"Alfred's mending your clothes. They're pretty torn up."

Selina relaxed a bit, and slumped back in the bed.

"So what happened last night?" asked Bruce. "Who did this to you?"

"There was this ninja dude in an owl mask. I tried running, but he cornered me. He didn't say anything, just told me to stop."

Bruce stopped and took a minute to think. There was no point in hiding the truth from Selina. He took a deep breath and told the story Alfred told him the night before, and then told her about the engravings on the safe."

"So you think the guy that attacked me was the Talon?"

Bruce nodded. "The Court of Owls is real. They want us to stop looking into them."

"Barbara had a secret room in her apartment that was locked too. I think every high-society person in Gotham has one somewhere. Does that mean your dad was in the Court of Owls?"

Bruce didn't even think about it. "No, he couldn't have been. There has to be more to this."

Selina sighed, laughing a little bit. "So that means you're going to keep looking for them?"

"This is the biggest clue I have so far about my parent's murder. I can't just dismiss it."

Selina sighed, tired. "Well then, I have to help you."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"Then don't."

Jim Gordon came through the bedroom door with his partner, Harvey Bullock, both looking incredibly tired. Jim was relieved that Selina was alive, lying on the bed. He sat next to her with a smile, but Bullock sighed, exhausted. "How come it's always these two?"

Jim shook his head and turned to Selina. "What can you tell us about the man who attacked you?"

Selina thought the same way as Bruce. She didn't want to say anything. "He was wearing a mask."

Bullock laughed a little. "And let me guess." He pointed to Bruce. "You're going to tell us you saw him with his mask off, but then tell us you lied."

Bruce shook his head.

Slapping his forehead with his palm, Bullock chuckled. "Dammit, you had a great nostalgia moment practically gift-wrapped for you."

Jim ignored his partner, still questioning Selina. "Is there anything else you can tell us? Approximate age, height, anything?"

After pretending to think, Selina shook her head.

"Is there anyone with a motive to attack you?"

Bullock sat down next to his partner to help him interrogate Selina. "Don't pretend there isn't."

"I don't know. I stole a few things, but I didn't think any of the owners were threatening."

Jim gave up on interrogation. Selina wasn't one to talk to police, and neither was Bruce. According to Alfred's story, the butler had only come in when Selina fell through their window. It was no use. Jim thought it best to put the case in reserve until more clues surfaced. He knew that the kids knew more than they were letting on, but telling them not to pursue the case alone was a lost cause.

He said goodbye to the kids and Alfred, and left the mansion to report back to Captain Essen. When she was completely sure that everyone but Selina was gone, Bruce whispered to her, "Do you know how to open a combination lock?"

Selina grinned at his determination. "You're kind of cute when you're all brave like this."

Bruce didn't respond, but he blushed a little bit.

"I know how to do it, but I'll need a stethoscope or some kind of listening tool."

Bruce thought. "My father let me play with his stethoscope once. I think it might be in the attic."

Selina nodded. "Okay. You get me that, and I'll hack the safe for you."

It wasn't hard to find his father's stethoscope. Alfred was busy shopping in Gotham city, and the door was unlocked. It took maybe half an hour, but Bruce came up with the old metal stethoscope his father let him play with as a boy. It was put away in an old box with Thomas Wayne's other possessions. Bruce was sure to put everything back just the way he found it. Seeing a picture of his father in the box just made him want to open the safe more.

He came down to the secret room where Selina was already waiting, limping slightly and holding the wound on her left arm. He handed her the tool, and she put it up to the lock on the safe. Bruce was sure to be absolutely quiet so Selina could listen for clicks. After the longest three minutes of Bruce's life. Selina jerked her head away triumphantly as the lock gave way and jerked away from the safe just a crack. Bruce put his hand on the door.

"Hey, kid." said Selina. "If there's something in there, I'll let you kiss me."

Bruce pulled the door, and the inside of the safe made his heart rate go up ten times. It was deeper than it let on, and completely empty except for a sheet of wizened paper. Bruce held it in his hands. On the front, there was a map of Gotham, certain places with owl symbols stamped onto them. Wayne manor was one of them. On the other side, there was a list of names hand-written in black ink. All the names were of Gotham's wealthiest families, and most were crossed off. There were a few that were left uncrossed though; _Dent, Falcone, Van Groot, Sionis, Keane,_ and _Wayne._

"These must be the people that haven't joined the Court of Owls yet." said Selina.

"That means… my parents weren't part of the Court." Bruce whispered, his hands shaking, eyes wide with fascination and fear.

"There's a symbol on your house on the map. What does that mean?"

The symbols were everywhere on the map. Barbara's apartment, Falcone's mansion, Maroni's diner, and everywhere else someone rich and powerful was slated to be. "These must mark the locations of possible recruits for the Court of Owls."

Selina took a knee to scan the map for clues. "Maybe Wayne manor is just a drop-off point. Maybe there is no connection between your parent's murder and the Court of Owls."

Bruce shook his head. "If so, then why go through the trouble of planting the map inside the manor? What if my parents are dead because they refused to join?"

"Falcone refused to join. So did Barbara. They're both still alive."

"This just doesn't add up."

"Maybe we should visit some of these places on the map. At least one of them has to belong to a Court member."

Nodding, Bruce folded up the paper to take back to his room. "Maybe." he sighed, half-heartedly. He was left even more confused than he was coming in. His parents weren't a part of the Court, but then why would their mansion be used as a drop-off point? And who was the map and list meant for? Selina relocked the safe. When Alfred called the guy to unlock it, he'd find nothing inside. The two left the room the exact same way they came in.

It was only at night when they started to realize the impact of their actions. Selina was staying at the manor for the night, and was sleeping in Bruce's bed. He didn't object. The paper they found in the safe was folded up on the tabletop next to the bed. Bruce was in his satin rich-boy pyjamas, and Selina had taken off her leather jacket to sleep in her tank top and jeans. The two were tucked in under Bruce's silk blanket. Bruce had long since fallen asleep, but Selina didn't fall asleep so easy. She liked to think she was a nocturnal creature. She lay there with her eyes closed, sometimes opening them to smile at Bruce sleeping. He always looked so innocent, maybe a little bit cute, but god knows the nightmares he was having.

The tapping at the window made her shoot up in the bed. Bruce, noticing the sudden jerk, blinked his eyes open and groaned, "Selina, what happened?"

Selina turned back to him to explain what had happened, and by that time, the window was being pried open. The two froze in their tracks. Selina whispered to Bruce to remain still and quiet, but it was no use. A leg stepped through the window, and the man ducked through and made his way in.

It was dark, and Bruce couldn't make out any of his features, other than he was tall, armoured, and wearing a mask. Selina, though, was nicknamed Cat. She could see in the dark. The tall man was covered in dark Kevlar and metal armour, weapons strewn along his belt. He didn't have any guns, but throwing knives, shurikens, and even a sword on his back. His mask was covering his face like a cloak, a pair of goggles built into them and metal rods and spikes forming the distinctive shape of an owl's face. No mistake, this was the man who attacked her the last night, a Talon of the Court of Owls.

He was looking across the room, and glanced upon Bruce and Selina, both not making a sound. The moonlight glinted off his goggles, almost making them glow. Bruce's heart fell and shattered into pieces when the Talon started talking, his voice deep and strong.

"I've been watching you for some time now, Bruce Wayne." He said.

Bruce gasped as quietly as he could, and then whispered back, "How do you know my name?"

"The Court watches over all. Lately, we've been taking an interest in you. We looked over you like silent guardians, and recently, you discovered our secret room."

The Talon walked over to Bruce's side of the bed, and picked up the paper on the tabletop with his metal clawed gloves, scraping the wooden table. Bruce looked straight into the Talon's circular eyes, completely emotionless, like an owl. The Talon stared back, seeing straight through Bruce's soul.

"If you were anyone else, you would be dead right now." The Talon hissed, his voice scraping Bruce's bravery away with every word. "The Court doesn't tolerate children poking around their business. But, you're no ordinary child. You're Bruce Wayne."

"Why is that significant?"

"Well, as you know, the Court of Owls is made up of only the most prestigious men and women of Gotham. I'm sure you'll grow up to be a very proud and noble young man, and by that time, you'll get your invitation."

Bruce laughed just the tiniest bit out of nervousness. What he did next wasn't out of bravery. It was out of anger for the Talon in thinking he'd join them. "I will never join the Court of Owls. You think you can rule Gotham, just kill anyone who disobeys you? I'm going to tear you down myself."

The Talon let out a raspy laugh, obviously satisfied with Bruce's behaviour. "Until that time comes, we'll be waiting."

"And what about me?" Selina asked.

The Talon showed no emotion, instead just whispering, "I guess you just got lucky."

He stuffed the paper inside his pocket and leapt out the window, barely making any sound, and disappeared into the night.

It was only then that Alfred burst into the room frantically yelling, "What the bloody hell happened here?"

Neither Bruce nor Selina could say anything about the open window and missing map, but just stare at the window, not able to wonder just how long the Court of Owls had been watching their every move, waiting to strike, like an owl in the night preying on the bats swooping by.


	2. The Court Rises

The police must have canvassed every inch of Wayne manor while Bruce and Selina lay in the bed, trying to get a wink of sleep with the noise from the police and the memory of the Talon in their bedroom. There were a few discoveries that would make Bruce shiver for the next month.

Firstly, in nearly every other room in the manor, including the secret room they had found, places in the ceiling looked like they had been dug out with chisels, leaving an ideal crevice to hide a camera in. The trees and hedges outside Wayne manor that looked so innocent and beautiful; Bruce remembered his father wanting to cut them down, but their building permit not allowing them to. The reason? A person hooked on top of any of the foliage, quite possibly the Talon, was in the optimal position to glance right through the windows and into the mansion. Most chilling of all though, was the discovery of several throwing knives in a hiding spot in the basement, tucked away in case they needed to be pulled out. For all anyone knew, Talons could have been coming in and out of the manor for months.

Jim Gordon was getting tired of making trips to and from Wayne manor. It seemed like a weekly ritual to him. He and Harvey Bullock pulled up in a police car at the front of the manor, and were talking to Alfred about the break-in.

"Did you see the intruder?" asked Jim.

Alfred sighed, having circled around the topic for what seemed like hours. "I only saw a dark shadow when he leapt out the window. You should be interrogating Master Bruce and Selina Kyle; they saw who the man was."

"I think you and I both know that's a lost cause."

Meanwhile, Selina and Bruce had gotten permission to get out of bed. Bruce had barely said a word, instead, thinking about what the Talon had said and what he did to Selina. He had been waiting for hours to spring back into action, and the first place Bruce darted to was the secret Court of Owls room. The safe was gone, completely lifted out of the wall and taken by the Talon, and bookshelves from the living room were moved in to make it look like the Waynes were using the room.

"How much are you going to tell the cops?" Selina asked, nudging Bruce. She would rather shoot herself than say it out loud, but Bruce looked kind of cute like that. He was tired, but frantic and worried and much more mature than any kid his age. Selina always admired that in him.

"We can't. If they find out and kill the Owls, I'll never find out who killed my parents."

Selina nodded. "So then B, where to next?"

"If we still had the map, we could have checked out some of the places they marked."

"There's a room in Barbara's apartment that's locked. If it's another Owl room, it'll use the same key. Might have a map in it too."

"They won't let us leave."

With a grin and a wink, Selina draped her arm around Bruce's shoulder, making Bruce blush just the tiniest bit. "Not sure how to break it to you kid, but it's not that hard to slip in and out of this place."

Bruce shot Selina a look, but that just made her smirk. He dug the key out of the cabinet in his bedroom, and she led him to the manor's regency room. When she saw that there were no cops around looking for things, Selina slid the window open and looked down to the dirt ground below.

"Observe." said Selina, sitting on the windowsill to dangle her legs out of the window. With one effortless motion, she took off, landing on the bough of the tree below her. Hooked onto the tree, she turned back to Bruce, grinning. "Your turn."

Bruce sat the exact same way Selina did on the window ledge, his legs dangling much more awkwardly than hers, making her laugh a little bit. He gripped the ledge of the window, trying to find a good footing, and took off. It took him less than half a second in the air to realize he didn't take off hard enough. He stretched himself out as much as he could, trying to grab the tree, but Bruce didn't have Selina's experience. His hand slipped, and he fell on is back onto the dirt ground.

Selina jumped down beside him and grinned. "It's okay. I don't think cat style is your thing anyway."

Bruce groaned, trying to sit up. "I'll think of something for myself." He had always wondered how Selina was able to do things like that. In a few ways, she was what he aspired to be with his combat and willpower training.

As soon as Bruce stood up, Selina left for Barbara's apartment. Bruce followed her for a short walk, still through the same decent part of town as Wayne manor. Within a few minutes, they found themselves at Barbara's apartment, and facing another difficult climbing part for Bruce. He looked at the wall in front of him, with a few vines to hold on to, then back at Selina. The street thief noticed the fear in his eyes and grinned, amused at his awkwardness.

"Why don't I go up there and get the map for you?" she said, pitying him for the parkour she put him through.

Bruce tried not to show his relief too much. "Thank you."

The billionaire handed Selina the key, and watched as she grabbed onto a vine and hoisted herself up, her foot catching on a dent in the brick. She looked completely calm and fluid, just like a cat, as she scaled the wall and crawled up onto the balcony of Barbara Keane's apartment. Ivy was there again, on the couch with Barbara, telling a story about something that happened at the Flea. The two spotted Selina and Barbara invited her to sit down. She didn't have the time.

"I'm just popping in. I need to do something." said Selina, heading straight to the secret door Barbara had shown her last time. Barbara followed her to the back, curious what she was doing. Selina got chills down her spine seeing the door in Barbara's apartment, sending memories back to her of when their troubles started.

"Where did you get that key?" Barbara asked.

Selina ignored her, jamming the bronze key into the rusted lock, and opening the door with an ominous _click_.

It was exactly like she and Bruce thought. It was another all-white, four-by-four square room with a safe in the middle of the opposite wall from the door and the rotting corpses of two adult owls circling around their nest. That room must have been abandoned not long before Barbara had bought the apartment, seeing the owls hadn't fully decomposed.

Barbara's mouth dropped, and she winced a little before putting her hand on Selina's shoulder.

"Wh-What is… how did you find this?"

"I have to open that safe."

As fearlessly as she could manage, Selina dashed for the safe and put her hand to the metal lock. It was the exact same combination as the safe in Wayne manor, and it was soon open to reveal a bare inside with a sheet of wizened paper, a map on one side, and a list of names on the other.

Selina turned back to Barbara, who was still trying to breathe properly. "Listen to me, Barb. You cannot tell the cops about this. If a man in an owl mask comes here and asks about the safe, blame Bruce Wayne."

Leaving Barb gawking at the open safe and white room, Selina left without a word, heading straight for the window and jumping out, grabbing vines and bricks to ease herself to the ground where Bruce was waiting.

"Well?" Bruce asked, still marveling at Selina's climbing.

Selina handed him the map, which felt identical to the one they found in Wayne manor. Bruce weighed it in his hands, and folded it open to reveal the exact same list of names with _Wayne_ left uncrossed.

"It makes you wonder why no one found it odd that every billionaire in the city had a secret locked room." Selina sighed, trying to read the paper over Bruce's shoulder.

Bruce turned the sheet over, revealing the map. That was the only difference between Barbara's apartment and Wayne manor. Instead of every outpost having an owl stamp on it, only one did. It was the old Van Groot manor that was left abandoned after the police uncovered Mrs. Van Groot's dead body.

"Why would the Owls only check the Van Groot place?" asked Selina.

Bruce shook his head. "I went through these files. Maroni was set to own the Van Groot manor after Constance Van Groot died."

"If Maroni's name was crossed off, he might have been working with the Court. Maybe he was claiming it for them."

"Maroni's dead though. The Owls must have given up on it. If they've already set up their post, we might be able to find some clues about my parents."

Selina was silent for a minute, and Bruce wondered what she was thinking. The second he was going to ask what was wrong, she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him, her soft lips timidly grazing his. Bruce blushed, not sure what to do, and just stayed completely still while Selina kissed him, their lips connecting until she pulled away, smiling.

Bruce tried to say something, but just stammered for a few seconds until Selina said it for him.

"You looked like you could use it."

After going back to the streets, Bruce was able to hail a taxi to take them to the Van Groot manor. The ride wasn't long, and the old mansion wasn't far from Wayne manor. Most of the big, rich-people houses were clumped together, leaving the scumbags and criminals to share a district of their own. Selina was twiddling her thumbs, but Bruce couldn't think about anything, other than the fact that every time he passed a place owned by a high-society member, there was another secret room containing a safe and a map. They passed Maroni's diner, and Oswald Cobblepot's night club, and countless other mansions, knowing their residents were constantly being watched by the Court of Owls.

Bruce and Selina had to make the taxi drop them off at a random house where they would walk to the Van Groot manor. Otherwise, the cab driver might have thought they were breaking in. It was a short walk, and they soon found themselves at the old mansion.

In Gotham city, the houses didn't differ from each other much. The Waynes and Van Groots used to butt heads all the time looking for business deals since they had similar tastes. From the outside, both their mansions looked identical, and the inside was only different in layout. There wasn't anyone outside, so Bruce and Selina just casually walked in, only worrying about the occasional onlooker.

"Try looking in the bedrooms." Bruce called out to Selina, who was admiring the luxuries. "The secret room was near the bedroom in Wayne manor."

"Yeah, yeah." Selina mumbled, immediately deciding she didn't like Bruce's bossy side. The two split up to head up the stairs and down to the bedrooms. There were two, one belonging to Richard Van Groot, and the other to his wife Constance. Selina decided to circle around Constance Van Groot's bedroom, while Bruce took the former.

Mr. Van Groot had an old-timey bedroom, with walls lined with bookshelves and an old grandfather clock in the corner, no longer ticking. A photo of himself hung on the wall, with Thomas Wayne, and one other person Bruce couldn't name. First in his search, Bruce scanned the spines of the books in the wall, looking for anything pertaining to owls. After that proved fruitless, he called Selina to help him move the bookcases.

They weren't light, but after moving three bookcases to the center of the room, one of the books was hidden behind the rest of them. It was Mr. Van Groot's diary, a maroon, leather cased notebook with the man's neat handwriting scrawled on its pages. Bruce decided to flip through it.

Not seeing anything about the Court of Owls, Bruce only skimmed the first few pages, Selina watching him. Most of the pages were about Thomas Wayne, and a mechanic named Jack Buchinsky, probably the third man in the photo. Then, Bruce happened upon the word _owl._

Looking back a few pages to see if he had overshot, Bruce read aloud the few passages before.

"October 24: Today, a brown owl found its way into my home. I had no way of getting it to leave, so I just left the door open so it could leave when it wished to." Bruce read, flipping through some more pages, and then continuing.

"October 29: Two days ago marked the death of my beloved son Terrance, and while I cannot bring myself to write about the mode of his death, there were deep cuts on his face and chest, almost as if they were claws. A brown feather lay in his lapel as he died, and I am almost certain that it belonged to the same owl that entered my home not long ago."

Bruce flipped again, to another article, which he read aloud to Selina. "Nov 1: I am distraught by the fact that another owl has found its way into my home, this time a big grey one."

Then another article, "Nov 3: I visited my butler in the Gotham hospital today. He was fine, but his son Jason had been brutally attacked just minutes before, leaving huge gashes and scars on his face. My guess was he would be disfigured for life, but the most chilling aspect of his attack was in the grey feather found in his lapel. I now cannot deny the fact that someone is targeting me, using owls as harbingers of terrible atrocities committed to those close to me."

Selina stared at the page with curiosity. "That is seriously messed up."

Bruce kept reading. "November 14: As yet another pitch black owl makes its way into my home, I fear for my own life. I find myself unable to sleep at night in fear that an owl will fly through my window, marking the death of someone I care about. I have to run away so the owls can't find me. It is the only hope for myself and those I care about."

"It sounds like the Court of Owls was trying to drive him insane." Selina grabbed the diary and flipped through the passages.

Bruce thought for a bit. What had Richard Van Groot done that would force the Owls to drive him insane?

Selina finished with the diary, and looked around the room, her eyes landing on the portrait on the wall. "He seemed pretty chummy with your dad."

Bruce nodded. "And someone called Jack Buchinsky."

"I know him. The paper called him the Electrocutioner. He's locked up at Arkham Asylum now, for trying to fry the police department with a fuse box."

Bruce dropped the diary in frustration. "How are we going to get into Arkham?"

"Your mom funded a wing in that, didn't she? All you have to do is say you're paying your respects."

Nodding, Bruce opened up the map in his pocket. "Let's go then."

The Arkham district was a much more shady part of town. The taxi ride there was a lot more foreboding, as the buildings that sped by gradually turned from mansions and fenced apartments to smaller buildings and condos. The population switched from a few people meandering around to roads flooded with Gothamites, all yelling and bumping into one another. As they neared the Arkham district, Bruce noticed Selina slowly easing into her surroundings as it got closer to home for her. She had grown up on the streets, and the comfort seemed to flood away from Bruce and build up in Selina.

The area around Arkham Asylum though, was closed off to the public. The taxi ride stopped when it reached its block-wide radius around the asylum, and Selina and Bruce got off. Bruce stopped at the huge gate in the middle of the fence. It was a huge silver gate with the words _Arkham Asylum_ across the top. A guard standing at the gate stared down at Bruce, exasperated. He must have assumed he was being pranked.

"Who are you?" asked the guard.

Bruce stammered before answering, but Selina draped her arm around his shoulder and laughed. "Is this guy for real?"

The guard didn't say anything.

That just made Selina laugh more. "I'm assuming you've seen the Martha Wayne wing of the asylum? Probably worked in it or have friends who do or something? Well this is Bruce Wayne, who's rich enough to make sure you and your family are polishing shoes for the rest of your lives."

Bruce pushed her aside to take a less life-ruining approach. "I came to pay my respects to my mother's wing, if I can."

The guard thought for a bit, then nodded. "Of course, Mr. Wayne."

With the click of a lock, the guard opened the gate for Bruce and Selina. They were told to go to the front desk and wait there. The two walked into the courtyard and into the front door of the asylum. Arkham Asylum was probably built somewhere in the 1700s and was meant to be torn down, but instead, it was left up and filled with inmates. There was almost no security, and even less running the asylum.

The man at the front desk looked old and tired, speaking with a hoarse voice.

Bruce went up to him, Selina behind him. "I'm here to visit a family friend. Can I see Jack Buchinsky?"

The man sighed again, and Selina wondered if everyone in the asylum was grumpy that afternoon.

Eventually, the man gave and walked them down the halls of Arkham. It started with the hospital facilities and stations, and soon, past locked doors, they came by the inmate's cells.

Each of the metal doors with one window in the middle were lined up next to each other, protecting small, five-by-five cells. Sometimes, one would by unoccupied, but most of them contained an inmate. Bruce would jump sometimes when he heard one screaming or talking. Then, after a few minutes of walking down the aisle, he heard laughing.

"Hey!" yelled an inmate from behind the window. "You're Bruce Wayne! Don't tell me Bruce Wayne went crazy too."

Bruce jumped back, but stared at the inmate. The name on his door said _Jerome Valeska._

"And who's this? Your girlfriend?" Jerome asked, and then burst out in the most evil laughter Bruce had ever heard. Selina wondered if there was always a huge, evil grin plastered on his face.

Not wanting to look stupid in front of the inmates, Selina retorted. "We're just friends."

That just made Jerome smile more. "Let me guess. Middle-school romance? What if she died? How would you feel about that?"

The two just walked away, leaving Jerome babbling behind them. "What if you saw her bloody, mutilated body on your sidewalk with a smile sewn on her face? What kind of boyfriend would you be then?" And then more laughter; evil, bloody laughter that scraped away at Bruce's soul.

Bruce, Selina, and the man kept walking until they reached a cell at the end of the hall, where Bruce could see Jack Buchinsky through the window. He had aged considerably since the photo was taken; he now had a white beard and looked as if he was in his seventies.

The man banged on the door to get Jack's attention, and then left back for the desk. Buchinsky looked over at Bruce and Selina.

"Are you Jack Buchinsky?" Bruce asked, a little too quietly.

Jack frowned. "I prefer the Electrocutioner to Jack Buchinsky, thank you."

Bruce looked back at Selina, who shrugged. He put his hand up to the glass and kept Jack's rapt attention. "Do you know Richard Van Groot?"

"I used to."

"Would you know anything about the Court of Owls?"

It was only then that Jack got off his bed and came up to the window. "I know that they're far too dangerous for two children to look into."

Selina scowled. "Get to the point old man."

Bruce tried not to show impatience. "You used to be a mechanic for Wayne Enterprises. What happened that landed you in here?"

Jack didn't seem to show much restraint in telling Bruce his story. "I had a deal with Richard Van Groot to produce electronics when Maroni tried to buy them. We both said no, and that's when the owls came. I knew Maroni was behind it, but Richard didn't. He was driven out of Gotham, and the Talons came for me. Luckily, I was able to kill them by sending electric currents through the ground."

Selina whispered to Bruce. "Maroni must have been trying to buy stuff for the Owls. When Jack said no, the Owls must have driven out Van Groot to punish him."

Jack nodded. "They called me insane. They said the Court didn't exist, but I always knew. Now I wonder what business you two have with the Court of Owls."

Bruce ignored his question. "Tell me about Thomas Wayne. Did the Owls do anything to him?"

"Thomas Wayne? I haven't heard that name in ages. I knew him well, and I'm absolutely sure that he wouldn't have wanted to sell out to Maroni."

Starting to understand, Bruce went silent for a minute. "So the Owls killed Richard Van Groot and my dad so you would sell Maroni your tech?"

Selina stepped up to the window. "What kind of tech?"

Jack scowled. "That is the most likely fate of Thomas Wayne. As for the tech, I was developing a valence current-splicer. As you know, electric currents travel along conductors, my invention allowed static attraction from air particles, allowing a current to flow through them. Thomas Wayne wanted to create a more efficient method of power transfer, but Maroni could have used it to electrocute entire cities, held Gotham to ransom."

"That explains why the Owls didn't kill you when they killed your parents." Selina said. "They needed you, but they had to punish Jack Buchinsky."

Despite everything Selina and Jack were saying, Bruce shook his head, a tear almost running down his cheek from talking. "No. If their sole purpose was to punish Buchinsky, only my father would've been shot. There has to be another reason, otherwise, my mother would still be alive."

Selina nodded and turned to Jack. "Buchinsky, is there any other-"

Selina was cut off by a bullet or small knife or something flying through the air between Bruce and Selina, breaking the glass window and making a bloody mark in Buchinsky's forehead. Before Bruce could understand what had happened, Jack fell to the ground, dead.

Everything seemed to happen in that split second. Bruce's head darted to where the knife had come from. There was nothing but an open window. Suddenly, a Talon, fully-armoured and wearing an owl mask, jumped through the open window and broke into a run down the hall away from Bruce. He turned back to Selina to find her running the opposite direction. He didn't have the time to decide to chase the Talon or run with Selina before the Talon hit a select few buttons on the panel at the end of the hall.

Bruce ran as fast as he could in the same direction as Selina, his chest heaving, as Jack Buchinsky's cell door opened. He didn't see the others opening, but he heard the creaking of the cells next to Buchinsky's. All the cells in the area opened, and a few of the inmates started peering out of their cells, testing the waters. One of them didn't care.

The very second Bruce ran by, Jerome Valeska slammed his cell door open and jumped out, declaring, "Thank God I'm free, what kind of hotel is this?"

In one fluid motion, Jerome grabbed Bruce's lapel and pinned him against the wall with his forearm, Bruce gasping for air.

"You look like you're going to be a lot of fun!" Jerome sneered, a giant evil grin forming on his face. "It's not every day you kill a rich kid like you."

Bruce was able to break free and run for the door when Jerome's arm jerked back in pain. Selina had grabbed his other arm and twisted it back, forcing Jerome away from Bruce. His attention shifted from Bruce to Selina.

"And who are you?" he asked, Selina's fighting making him laugh. "I don't know if killing Bruce Wayne's girlfriend will carry the same warm feeling, but I'm a compromising kind of guy."

Selina had fought people before. Her catchphrase was, ' _go for the eyes,'_ but she didn't think she could take on someone like Jerome. She broke into a run after Bruce, which sent Jerome into a laughing fit, and she didn't stop hearing his manic, uproarious laughter until she left the hall.

 **There will be three parts total to the Court of Owls storyline. This is by far my best received story to date, and I truly appreciate your support. Although they are not listed in the Gotham character list, I did not create Jerome Valeska and Jack Buchinsky. I am so psyched for season two, and a little bird told me that Jerome is making a comeback...**


	3. The Court Breaks Loose

It had been three days since Selina Kyle asked Bruce Wayne about the locked room in the upper floor of the mansion, and it was opened. The two had known the truth about Gotham city for three days. No one else had any idea what was happening behind the shadows, who was ruling them, who was killing them. Ever since then, Bruce always kept one eye open. Ever since the discovery that a secret society of the richest men and women of Gotham was constantly watching its citizens, ruling them from behind the darkness, Bruce Wayne could never truly rest. Even more chilling was the realization that sometime in the future, if someone didn't take down the Owls, Bruce would be asked to join them, and if he refused, they would most likely kill him. The prospect of him joining the Court was the only thing keeping him alive lately.

It was night. Alfred was furious to the point of not even saying anything that Bruce and Selina had been gone all day after a Talon broke into the mansion. He had immediately sent the two to Bruce's bedroom, and they were both intimidated to the point that they obeyed. Selina was fast asleep, and for the first time ever, Bruce was able to outlast her. Selina was lying in bed, her head resting in the nook of Bruce's shoulder. Despite being so skinny, his body was surprisingly muscular, making Selina feel more and more comfortable playing with him. The television was on, and Bruce had been looping the same news coverage for hours.

"Earlier today," the newswoman reported, "A breakout of five inmates at Arkham Asylum caused the deaths of seven guards at the hands of a recent inmate, Jerome Valeska. Method of breakout is unknown, but Valeska is currently loose in the streets. He is a five foot six Caucasian male with red hair, and is extremely dangerous. Citizens are asked to report Valeska's whereabouts to the GCPD on sight."

It was his fault. That was the phrase Bruce repeated to himself over and over in his head, torturing himself with it. It was his fault Jerome escaped. If he had done something, maybe yelled for help or fought back, those seven guards might still be alive. Instead, he was a coward. He just stood there and did nothing, just like he did when his parents were killed.

Bruce felt the rustling of Selina's bushy hair on his shoulder. She groaned, and opened her eyes to connect to Bruce's. He was still wide awake, and glanced down at Selina.

"Still awake, huh?" she asked, in her most gentle voice. It wasn't something she exercised much.

Bruce couldn't hold back. He told Selina everything he was thinking. "I should have done something when Jerome pinned me down. I didn't do anything because I was scared, and now those guards are dead."

Selina sighed. She was getting kind of tired with Bruce's tendency to blame everything on himself. "Listen kid. You've got to stop torturing yourself like that. Jerome was a sociopath, and he was twice as big as you. There was nothing you could have done, just like there's nothing you could have done about your parents. Sometimes, bad stuff just happens, and you have to roll with it."

Bruce was surprised. Selina was usually so adamant to Bruce's problems. She had never cared this much about him before, and now it seemed like everything she could have said before was being said now. He liked it. Instead of seeing a ragged street thief, Bruce looked into Selina's shiny green eyes and saw a soul. He saw humanity in her.

"I would kiss you," Selina whispered, smiling. "But lately my affection has been a little one-sided."

For the first time ever, Bruce kissed her. In his own awkward, stumbling way, Bruce just barely grazed his lips on Selina's and kissed her. He didn't think about it or have any reason to. All he felt was a rush of warmness and happiness when he stared into Selina's green, radiant, beautiful eyes and his head simply gravitated towards hers and he felt her shiny, sweet lips touch his.

He had only taken his lips off her for a second when Selina brought her hand gently up to Bruce's cheek, feeling his smooth, glinting skin and kissed him back. It felt like an eternity, and she didn't want it to end, holding his tiny face in her hands and crashing her lips back onto his. She caught Bruce by surprise, but soon, the two of them were caught with each other. He was so warm, and Selina couldn't feel anything but him in that moment. She couldn't feel anything but her scarred, lithe body against his skinny chest, and she loved it. It had been a long time since either of them was happy and had nothing to worry or care about, and it felt long overdue.

His mind finally off the television, Bruce slowly began to fall asleep as the happiest man in the world, Selina's warm body in his arms. Selina fell asleep resting against Bruce, his arms around her to keep her warm.

The two woke up barely able to stand up, their brains still fighting off the effects of the drug.

Bruce noted the owl mural in the white hall he woke up in, Selina next to him. The ground was cold and concrete, just like the walls of the white hall. It reminded him of a version of the white rooms in Wayne manor and Barbara's apartment. Other than the owl painting on the wall next to them, the hall was bare and dark, closed off on one end.

Selina darted up as soon as she could move, and took in her surroundings. She didn't say anything, and neither did Bruce. They didn't have to. They both knew what had happened. The Talon had drugged them and brought them there.

The hall was closed off. There was no way to climb the walls or break through, and there didn't seem to be any doors or windows. As far as Selina and Bruce knew, they could be halfway across the world from Gotham. Selina knew exactly what was going to happen.

"There's no way out." she said. "They want us to go down the hall."

Bruce nodded. He made sure the drug had completely worn off and his body was functioning again before attempting to stand up. Selina did the same, and the two of them stood next to each other facing down the dark hall. There was no way out. They had to do what the Owls wanted them to.

Bruce took the first step down the hall. The lights seemed to follow them so they couldn't see far in front or behind themselves. They had only taken a few steps before the first picture frame came into view. There were seven differently coloured owl feathers framed on it, probably representing seven people. Selina and Bruce didn't think much of it. After all, the Owls had shown them a lot of things.

As they kept going, more frames on the wall started to some into view. A map of Gotham city came into view, hanging on the wall behind a golden glass frame with the Owl insignia engraved in the corners.

"I think they're trying to tell us a story." Selina whispered, taking the lead. She always boasted she could see in the dark. She actually could see better than most people where there was no light, but even she was having trouble seeing where the hall lead or what was down it. All she saw was a little bit further ahead than Bruce.

As the map of Gotham faded into the shadows behind them, a new frame emerged. It dawned upon Bruce that it was the exact same portrait as the one in Richard Van Groot's bedroom, of him, Jack Buchinsky, and Thomas Wayne. In black ink that looked like it had been used with an eyedropper, Thomas Wayne had been circled. As the two examined the portrait closer, the portrait wasn't the same one from the Van Groot manor. It wasn't as old and had a few wrinkles in it. It was a photocopy, probably lifted by the Owls. Thomas Wayne looked so confident and wise, his arms crossed behind his back.

"You look like your dad." Selina nudged Bruce, trying to reassure him.

Bruce tried to speak, but his throat was too dry and trembling. All he managed was a strangled whisper, "Thank you."

He stayed at the frame longer than he stayed at the others, fixated on his father with the circle drawn around him, almost like a target sign for the Owls. It was a target sign for the Owls, and Bruce's skin went cold thinking about what they could've thrown at him.

When Bruce was ready, Selina continued on down the hall. Not as far spaced out as the others was a wall full of newspaper clipping surrounding the Waynes. On the white wall was a series of jumbled up newspaper articles about everything concerning the Wayne family, and it didn't take long for Bruce to realize that it exactly resembled the wall he made at home. In the exact same places, Bruce scanned the headlines, ' _Thomas and Martha Wayne Fund Orphanage in River District,' 'Thomas and Martha Wayne Have First Child,' 'Thomas Wayne Fights Corruption in City Hall,' 'Waynes Killed by Gunman in Crime Alley.'_

Bruce no longer wanted to keep going. It seemed like the Owls were playing with him, torturing him with the memory of his parents. But he had to keep going. He had to get out.

It seemed like ages that Bruce and Selina walked down the hall, the memories of his parents following Bruce, seeming to well up inside him until they threatened to explode. The more he walked, the more uneven and unsure his steps became as he realized just how much the Owls knew about the Waynes.

After a while, the frames started to depict even more gruesome imaginings. A series about the death of the Waynes made itself apparent in golden owl frames hung on the wall like trophies. The very first Gotham Gazette story about the Wayne's funeral, a documentary about Wayne enterprises after the deaths of its founders, an uneventful interview with Bruce Wayne about his parents, every clipping frame on the white wall made Bruce tremble to the point that he could barely walk. He was ice-cold, and could barely look at the frames, yet they beckoned to him.

"Kid," All of a sudden, Selina turned around and put her hands on his shoulders. "You're even whiter than you usually are. I'll go ahead, and you can stay here if you want."

Bruce shook his head. "No. I'm okay."

"You sure? Because you look like you ran out of blood."

"Yes. I'm sure."

Selina nodded, and took off down the hall.

After ages of the pictures of his dead parents hung on the wall like trophies, the hall finally opened. At first, they couldn't see what they had walked into; their eyes had accustomed to the dark. Eventually, the blur disappeared to reveal a huge, bright white room with row on row of what seemed like coffins sticking up from the ground. Each coffin was bronze, with a uniform owl symbol on the front and the name of the person inside. There were probably fifty in that room alone, and the doors probably led to more rooms with who knew how many coffins.

The room was lit bright up, and the walls were concrete. In the center stood a marble fountain where a statue of an owl, wings spread, spewed a stream of water from its mouth.

"Welcome, Bruce Wayne." said a man's voice, deep and clear. Bruce and Selina looked around for its source, but didn't see anyone.

Finally, a man stepped out of one of the wooden doors. He wore a white suit, and would've looked formal if not for the black cape and hood that brought about the images of a priest. He was tall and skinny, and his face was covered in a white owl mask. The mask wasn't detailed. It was simply a white disc with two eye holes and the impression of a beak carved into it, but it immediately brought about the feeling of an owl, wise and ever-watching.

"So it's real?" Bruce stammered, not stepping back as the man approached them. "The Court of Owls truly rules Gotham?"

There was an eerie silence as no one said anything, then after a moment, the man said, "Yes."

"And my parents? You killed them?"

Another silence, then the words that broke Bruce's soul. "No."

Bruce and Selina couldn't say anything, so the man said it for them.

"I am the Grandmaster Owl, lord of the Court of Owls. We have patiently waited and watched your family for generations so that someday, a Wayne may join the ranks of the Court. Your grandparents refused, and your parents were out of the question, so you were our last hope. That's why you weren't killed in the alley that night."

A single tear escaped from Bruce and his face started turning red. The Grandmaster Owl continued talking while Bruce's hands slowly transformed into fists.

"You've seen what Gotham City is. Ever since the disappearance of the Court fourteen years ago, we have watched as Gotham fell into the hands of criminals and has slowly rotted apart. Fourteen years ago, the Owls were forced to retreat and watch out city almost destroy itself. Now, though, on the brink of Gotham's destruction, the Owls will return and restore order to the city."

"What did you do to my parents?" Bruce's voice was wet and shaking, but he didn't care. He was about to fall apart, listening to the ramblings of his parent's killer. He couldn't move, simply standing there, his entire body threatening to give out.

"Ah, the death of the Waynes was a terrible thing, although necessary. Our forces were weak and we almost fell apart. Thomas Wayne held the secret to our prosperity in his company, and in the face of the city's deterioration, he still refused to give it up. We had fully meant to make a sacrifice for the sole survival of our entire city."

Selina stepped in front of Bruce, as if protecting him. "And how did the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne help you regain control of the city?"

"An engineer of his held the tech we needed within Wayne enterprises, and he refused to sell. We needed to threaten him into a legal handoff, or else suspicion would have surfaced."

"You killed Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne and Richard Van Groot and Van Groot's family just to scare Jack Buchinsky into selling?"

The mask was covering his face, but Selina almost felt the Grandmaster Owl smile. "See, you wouldn't believe it, but this is the part that will drive you insane. The gut-wrenching truth is your parents weren't killed by the Court, but rather a Court member. The Court of Owls killed Richard Van Groot's family, and we had the intent to damn your father to a painful death, but the truth is we were beaten to the chase.

"We have no idea who killed the Waynes, but we know he was a Court member. You were left alive, and the only explanation for that is your parent's killer knew of the Court of Owls' need for you. You two are the only non-Court members alive who know of our existence, so the killer was indeed a Court member. However, their method of death was not the intention we had planned. All we did was drive their company into corruption and killed their firstborn son so they wouldn't divulge our existence."

"And why the secret room?"

"The initiation begins when the members display the intuitiveness required to realize the Court exists. Or in other words, discover the secret room. You, Bruce Wayne, are the youngest to ever do so."

Finally, Bruce got the nerve to speak, trembling and silently crying. "We already have rulers; politicians and businessmen that run the city without killing and torturing those who don't do as they wish.

The Grandmaster shook his cloaked head. "You will grow to understand. Gotham is a cesspool for mayhem. Your politicians and businessmen have so far run it into the ground. Gotham needs some control."

There was a silence as Bruce's sadness evolved into rage and Selina didn't have any words. Finally, Selina whispered, "What did Buchinsky sell you?"

The Grandmaster Owl turned away and walked towards the coffins in the ground, his black cape dragging behind him, until he was standing in the middle of all of them. Bruce and Selina followed in small shuffles, the ground below them becoming littered with dirt and knives. A _clink_ under Bruce's feet revealed the knife he had stepped on. The Grandmaster turned back to them, his arms spread, motioning at the coffins.

"You have obviously had experience with the Talons. Well, there's one in each of these tombs. We have picked these unfortunate souls off the streets of Gotham and moulded them into killers. One of the reasons the Court of Owls has prospered is in the fact that unlike the thugs or policemen that have deluded themselves into thinking they patrol the streets, our Talons cannot die."

With the click of a button, the very ground beneath them shook as the lids on the coffins rumbled violently and slowly slid open to reveal the Talons inside, all lying silent as death with their arms crossed over their chests. Each one was dressed in armour with their masks on, as if ready to head into battle. None of them were injured and there wasn't even any blood on their uniforms. They were all in perfect condition.

Without warning, burst of white electricity sparked over the bodies between conduits in the sides of the coffins, the entire ground seeming to power up so much, Selina could feel the static in the air on her face. The electric currents almost enveloped the bodies, crackling off the uniforms and making them jerk. The amount of electricity reached its zenith, and then stopped. That's when the bodies rose.

Starting from the back of the room, the Talons rose out of their coffins and stood, each one in uniform pattern with their hands behind their back. Each one crept out of their coffins to stand with their master, and soon over fifty trained, immortal assassins stood with the Grandmaster Owl, his arms outstretched to his kin.

Selina backed away to stand horizontal from Bruce while the Grandmaster Owl stepped off the pedestal to come eye to eye with them.

"The Owls have been around for centuries, before Gotham was even built. In that time, we found out the greatest secret of all; how to bring something back from the dead. These Talons are decades old, and after some experimentation and testing, they come back to life for the bidding of the Court, and nothing else."

Before they knew what was happening, one of the Talons swooped down as silent and fast as an owl and trapped Selina between his arms, while another picked a knife off the floor and held it to her throat. She didn't dare struggle. She couldn't fight all the Talons at once, and she had no idea what was happening. All she managed was a strangled yelp.

It was almost like Bruce was stabbed awake. He didn't walk any closer out of fear the Talon might put pressure on the knife, but his head jerked up and the anger inside him was smothered into frantic shock. Selina tried to look strong, but Bruce recognized the look in her eyes. It was the same look she gave him in bed the night before, and all Bruce saw was a human being he cared about with a knife on her throat.

"We always regret killing in the Court of Owls, but we also realize it as a necessity in the control of Gotham." said the Grandmaster. "Perhaps her death will motivate you not to look further until we want you to."

It flashed before his eyes. That moment in the alley where a madman robbed his parents and shot them struck him like lightning in that moment, and for a second it was like it was happening again. He could see his mother and father, standing helpless in front of a psychopath with a gun while he spent them like flies, and he was frozen in his place. He didn't do anything because he was afraid, and watched the two people he loved most die before his eyes.

Not this time. There was something he could do now, and something to prevent someone else getting killed by criminals. As fast as he could, Bruce bent down to pick a knife off the floor, bronze with an owl symbol on the sheath.

"You won't kill Selina." he said, as bold as he could.

The Grandmaster laughed, his mask shaking. "Why not?"

"Because you need me." Bruce didn't think much. He was already thinking about too many things at once. Before anyone could say a word, Bruce Wayne plunged the knife into his own stomach.

It only hurt for a millionth of a second, and that was the most intense pain he had ever felt. He had burnt and cut himself before out of the need to test himself, but nothing could prepare him for that. For a millionth of a second, Bruce felt the knife cut through himself and his insides screaming, and then everything went blurry. He couldn't feel anything, not the wound, not the ground, not his body. He could barely stand up, and only understood he had collapsed on his knees when the hazy silhouette of the Grandmaster Owl towered over him. Selina's scream bounced around in his head for an eternity before the world finally went black with small pieces of blurred white light dangling over him.

All the pain returned at once, and Bruce's first instinct waking up was to lurch over, afraid to touch his wound, trying not to throw up. That would make the pain almost unbearable. When his finger grazed his stomach, he felt a soft fabric, and found there was a bandage around him. He had felt the soft bed and grey room before.

He was in Gotham General.

His crumpled clothes were on the counter beside him, and he was dressed in a hospital robe. As soon as Bruce got the strength to assess his surroundings, he found the hospital in a state of panic, with nurses screaming and wheeling patients through the halls.

"Your plan worked, kid." Selina said. Bruce took his first deep breath, the pain almost making him double over. Selina was alive, standing next to his hospital bed in her leather jacket and jeans, with only a small cut on her throat that might be mistaken for a paper cut. "They thought you'd kill yourself if I died."

Bruce managed a small wheeze, getting used to the pain. It hurt less if he leaned to the left a bit.

Selina sat down next to him, smiling. "I got to admit, that was cool. I didn't know you cared so much."

Truth be told, Bruce didn't know either. He didn't know if it was the feelings from his parent's murder, or if he really did care for Selina that much. It was really just a jar-of-the-moment decision.

Selina laughed. "I guess I'm just trying to say… Thanks, Bruce."

Bruce nodded, turning into more of a twitch. "I couldn't let you die when I could have done something."

"You really are a hero, aren't you?"

"I'm not a hero."

The screams in the hallways got louder before softening again, and a few nurses ran frantically past Bruce's room. He looked back at Selina.

"What's going on? Why are the nurses so frantic?"

Selina sighed, debating whether or not to tell Bruce. "After a Talon brought us to Gotham General, the rest of them went on a killing spree all over Gotham. Bodies are dropping like flies, it's carnage out there."

"We have to get to Arkham Asylum then." Bruce started before Selina could finish. How just like him. "Buchinsky said he killed a bunch of them with electric currents, so the Talons must deactivate when they're overloaded. We'll need to go to Arkham and get Buchinsky's electrical weapons."

"You're lucky you didn't lose too much blood. Maybe I can find you a walker or something."

"No, just help me up."

Bruce managed to sit himself up, supporting himself on one arm. Selina got closer to help him stand up, but soon they both realized it was impossible. Bruce's vision went blurry, and he was forced back onto the bed from the pain in his stomach. It was no use. Selina thought for a bit.

"I know how to get a car. Wait here for a few minutes; you'll be safe in here."

Not waiting to hear Bruce's protest, Selina dashed out of the door and to the Gotham Police Department. She knew he would. Probably some crap about not leaving her alone. She didn't feel like it. Truth be told, she wasn't extremely proficient at showing gratitude or care either. Bruce had cared for her more than any other person in her life, and it scared her a bit.

It was war in the streets. Some policemen and mafia members and even ordinary citizens with shotguns were going around the buildings and roads of Gotham City, firing desperately at the Talons. They were losing. Selina ducked and turned around the armed ninjas knocking off everyone they saw. At their rate, everyone in Gotham would be dead by morning.

A pair of policemen fired rapidly at a Talon while he charged them, planting knives in their chests. Another Talon cornered a family in a kitchen and killed them all with one swipe of his sword. A few mafia guys were ganging up on a Talon, and were being thrown across the road. Selina crept past the assassins, veering away from the fighting and jumping on rooftops until the police department building was in her sights.

The GCPD wasn't doing much better. There was a Talon inside, completely tearing up the place. Selina had just come when she saw the Talon, one foot on a desk, tearing down policemen left and right. Every person in the building was firing away at the ninja, but bullets didn't hurt it at all.

Jim Gordon, the only policemen Selina could trust, was in the back of the room, shooting away at the Talon. It was no good. Innocent police were dying by the minute, the Talon slashing at them and strangling them. It didn't take Jim a minute to notice Selina at the door, running over to her. Bullock, standing beside him, yelled at him to get back, but he didn't listen. Firing away at the Talon and running to Selina with a look of anger on his face, Jim grabbed her shoulder with his other hand.

"Selina, what the hell are you doing here?"

Selina wasn't intimidated. "I know how to stop the Talons."

Jim stopped firing and got closer, his voice turning into a harsh whisper. "Did you just call them Talons? Like, in the Court of Owls?"

"We need to hit them with electricity. It'll overload them and shut them down."

Jim didn't hesitate at all. After seeing what little effect bullets had, he fully believed the Talons were from the real Court of Owls from the stories his father told him. He knew about the Court, and he ran for the records annex, Selina following him.

Ducking under the fire of guns and the Talon tearing through the police, he dashed for the small metal door where he slammed the door open. There was a skinny, tall man in a dark green suit, standing inside the annex and watching the action through the small window. He stuttered when he saw Jim and Selina, the door almost grazing his nose.

"Jim, I didn't- I- what is-"

"Nygma!" Jim didn't ask. "I know you keep souvenirs from cases. Do you have any of the Electrocutioner's weapons?"

Ed looked surprised. "I… after the Buchinsky case, we scoped out a few of his old hideouts, and-"

Jim finally lost his patience. "Nygma, yes or no. No riddles."

"Yes."

Ed ran to the back of the room and put a combination into a cabinet in the corner, sliding the black drawer open and taking out a gun as carefully as he could. The gun was an arm's length, and looked high-tech. Wires and panels stuck out from the sides, and the end was wide; Selina could tell it didn't fire bullets.

"This is a tesla gun, it fires electric currents." Ed held the gun up to Jim with both hands and showed him how to operate the panels. "There are more weapons like this down in Arkham, I can-"

Jim took the tesla gun, weighing it in his hands. He didn't say a word before running out of the annex and back to meet the Talon. Nygma looked dazed, staring down at Selina. She nodded assuringly, and ran back out with Jim.

Cocking up the gun in his arms, he aimed at the Talon and pulled the trigger. A burst of white-hot electricity shot out of the rifle and hit the Talon right in the side. That got its attention. It didn't react, but jerked a bit and turned its masked head to face Jim. Another shot in the shoulder made it jolt back, and made it angrier. It prepared to charge at him, and one more shot straight to the chest put it on its back, twitching on the floor and knocking over desks and chairs. A few more shots made it stop moving completely.

Every single person in the room stared at Jim in awe. A few rushed over to their dead and injured friends, crying hysterically, while Bullock inched closer to his partner. Jim got up on a desk and addressed the police department in his loudest, boldest voice.

"Everyone! All of you in this room together are Gotham's finest, and all of you have lost something to the Talons. Come with me to Arkham Asylum and together, we will use the weapons that the Electrocutioner used for crime to fight for our city and for the innocent."

Slowly, the policemen started to nod and cheer.

Gordon kept going. "Bullock, you take a squad to get the injured to Gotham General."

"No way, partner." Harvey shook his head and laughed. "These ninja dudes shot up my apartment; I'm coming with you to lay some hate."

"Fine then. Alvarez, you take the betas and the homicide to the ambulance center and go around picking up the injured. All of you answer to Alvarez for now. Everyone else, follow me to the garage. We're going to Arkham Asylum to get the weapons from Electrocutioner's holding cell."

Selina watched as Jim jumped off the desk and grabbed her by the arm. His voice turned back into a whisper. "Selina, I appreciate the help, but I need to get you to a shelter. Is there anywhere safe you can go?"

The Flea was the first place that came to mind. She always called it the mall for street kids, but it was more of a hangout where they could go when it rained or if cops were looking for them. It was under a bridge in Falcone's turf, and he used to tolerate them because their fences gave him a portion of their profits. "Yeah, but we need to get Bruce. He's injured at Gotham General, it's not safe there."

Jim nodded, and Selina got into his cop car.

Meanwhile, Bruce was trying to recover, testing how far he could bend or walk before the pain got to him. As long as he leaned to the left a bit, he managed to stand up. Not walking just yet, but he could stand. Even worse was watching the world around him erupt into panic, as the halls of the hospital and the streets outside the window filled with screaming innocent citizens being knocked off by Talons. None of them bothered with his room though. It made it even harder for him to walk seeing the Talons destroying the city and knowing he was the only safe person in Gotham, with no power to bring other people into his shelter.

A Talon came into the hospital, even peering into his room. It didn't do anything. It had been instructed to leave Bruce Wayne alive, and instead torture him with the screams of those around him. Bruce could only think of one reason for the attack, and that was the most horrifying thing of all. The Court of Owls had led an attack on Gotham as a warning to Bruce not to dig further. Hundreds of innocents were being murdered left and right because of him.

The sound of an electric charge-up and the dropping of the Talon's body marked the arrival of Jim Gordon, Selina running in before him to help Bruce up.

"Detective Gordon." Bruce said, shocked. "We have to get to Arkham Asylum. We can-"

"Selina told me. We need to get you to safety first. Can you walk?"

Bruce stood, but needed Selina to help him out of the hospital and into Jim's police car, parked in the front. Jim got into the front seat and started it up, while Selina helped Bruce into the back.

"I don't know how you two found out about the weapons," Jim said, looking out the window to check for Talons, "But you two probably saved Gotham."

And that was the sentence that destroyed Bruce.

 **Originally, the Court of Owls was going to be three parts, but I couldn't comfortably fit everything I wanted to in the last chapter. I decided halfway through that a fourth chapter would be written. I'd like to point out just in case anyone doesn't know; the Court of Owls is not my creation. They are not Gotham characters, but DC comic book characters that exist in the same universe.**


	4. The Court Unleashed

"We need to get somewhere safe; can you give me an address to the Flea?" Gordon asked.

Selina nodded, trying to keep Bruce from blacking out. "It's in Falcone's turf near the old bridge."

Jim was driving fast along the streets, since he didn't need to worry about traffic. The Talons had taken care of that. Bullock had commandeered Jim's tesla gun and was driving behind him in case any Talons were following them. He didn't know at all about Bruce's immunity.

"Kid, you okay?" Selina asked, trying to keep Bruce active.

"This is all my fault." He whispered, so Jim couldn't hear them. "They warned me to stop looking, but I didn't listen, and now Gotham is being torn apart."

"You came close though. You almost found out who killed your parents. I bet if things were different, maybe one day if the Owls lose the power they have or someone takes them down, you could do it."

Bruce turned his head to look at Selina. "I wanted to help people, Selina. I wanted to help my parents and Gotham and help catch a murderer."

"It's this damn city. That's all. Gotham city is just rotten to the core, and wherever you stop one evil, ten worse ones are going to spring up to take its place. It's an ugly world."

Bruce looked down again, not saying a word.

"We could leave this place." Selina smiled. "There's Midway and Fawcett and Starling city, they'd all be better than here. It would be better there, and you could smile more."

"No." Bruce didn't even have to think about it. "My parents had a dream, that Gotham could be fixed. They worked their entire lives to make Gotham city a better place, and I won't let their dream die with them. I'm going to work on Gotham for the rest of my life and make it the city my parents wanted it to be."

"Well, if that's the dream, I'm not going to lie. I can't help you with that."

"I didn't ask you to."

The police car suddenly screeched to a stop, and Selina's head cocked up at Jim. He was looking in the side mirrors.

"Are there any other roads we can take?" he asked.

Selina looked out of her window at Jim's side-view mirror. Two Talons, both fully armed and not the least bit damaged were jumping on the roofs of cars at a traffic jam in front of them. They couldn't tell if anyone was inside, but if there were, they were dead. The Talons looked like they were digging through the rubble. Then, one turned its head so Selina could see the car's reflection in its goggles, and looked at them.

Jim turned behind them to Bullock, also in a car.

"Harvey, can you cover me?"

"What the hell do you think I've been doing for a year?"

Bullock handed the steering wheel to another cop in the passenger seat, and loaded up the tesla gun. Jim turned his car and started to turn around when the Talons took their first steps towards them. It was when the ninjas broke into a run that Jim took off, Bullock tailing him.

Jim drove as fast as he could, trying desperately to lose the Talons. Finding another way to the Flea would just lead the Talons there. Bullock's driver followed a few yards behind them, with Harvey cocking the gun out the window and trying to aim for their followers. Selina could hear him shout, "Dammit, keep the car straight!"

She had to keep Bruce awake. He hadn't lost too much blood, but he was still really frail. The shock of the chase might have made him pass out, so Selina held him upright and shook him to stop him from falling asleep. Every once in a while, Bruce's eyes started to close and he turned pale and threatened to fall unconscious, and Selina had to hold him upright. If he passed out then, he might not have been able to wake up.

Bruce tried not to look at the world whizzing past him. It just made him fainter. Jim looked back in the mirrors back at the Talons following them, and made a turn down the street.

"Bruce, Selina, I'm sorry." He said, gasping.

Selina narrowed her eyebrows. "You know, when you're in the back seat in a car chase, the last thing you want your driver to say is, 'I'm sorry.'"

"Can Bruce walk?"

Selina turned to Bruce, who nodded. "I'm fine."

Jim thought for a minute, swerving down a road to a bridge in the Arkham district. "I can't lose the Talons. We're going to have to go to Arkham Asylum and knock them out. How are Bruce's motor skills?"

"I don't know." Bruce's voice was a little louder than a whisper. "I think I can run, but I'm not sure."

Sighing, Jim swerved once again to the gate of Arkham Asylum. "Well, we'll see."

The Talons were right behind them. The two almost seemed to fly on treetops and ceilings and the rooves of cars, chasing on foot almost as fast as the police car. Jim didn't stop until he was at the very entrance of the asylum, past the gates, parking in front of the door to slow the Talons down. He slammed his door open and helped open Bruce's looking back at Bullock's car behind them.

"Bullock!" he yelled.

Harvey pulled up next to them, his car providing an extra obstacle for the Talons and got out, tesla gun in hand. "I got your back."

Bruce wasn't feeling the pain in his stomach as much as before, but the blood loss was beginning to take effect. The world around him swayed and seemed blurred, and he couldn't seem to focus on any one thing at a time. He dragged one of his legs out of the car and touched it to the ground. It took time, but Bruce got his footing and stood, leaning on Selina's shoulder.

"The inmate property lockers aren't far. Let's go."

Selina put one arm around Bruce's and dragged him along. Her grip was awkward and Bruce only managed clumsy strides with her help. Selina didn't help people a lot. Honestly, two days ago, she would've let Bruce go alone on the streets. Except now, she felt a sense of responsibility. He had stabbed himself for her, and Selina had never felt like she owed anyone anything before. She didn't know what it was like to have someone care for her until just then.

Behind them, Harvey Bullock stood at the gate of Arkham, and Bruce heard the tesla gun being shot. That meant the Talons weren't far behind. Jim led the two down the hall and into a corner to the holding cells. They couldn't move fast because of Bruce and they knew the Talons were close. Bullock's shots outside were still audible, and soon they stopped. Jim prayed for the sound of another tesla shot, but the seconds passing took the hope out of him, and he knew the Talons were inside the Asylum.

"It's not much further. Stay quiet." He whispered. Selina looked over to Bruce, and he nodded to assure her. Walking wasn't a chore for him anymore, and the world was staying steady for longer.

That's when the laughing started.

It was coming from the end of the hall, and the grim look on Jim's face let Selina know it was coming from the inmate property lockers. Jim put a finger on his lips to tell them to stay silent and crouched a bit so the Talons couldn't see them through the windows, continuing to the lockers.

The laughter got louder, manic, hysterical laughter and the sounds of metal on metal clacking. Bruce's feet dragging on the ground became less and less sure, as did Selina's. She was in no hurry to see the psychopath she remembered.

He finally came into view, rummaging through a locker, the broken lock on the ground. Jerome was armed with a few of the inmate's weapons. He was wearing red caped suit that belonged to one of the inmates, with a carved cane hooked on the belt and the infamous cowl of the Red Hood gang on his head like a toque.

Jim had no choice. He had to crawl into view. Jerome was deadly, but the three of them had a chance of knocking him out or killing him. The Talons would slaughter them. Apparently, Jerome saw them first.

"Well, I had no idea you three knew each other." He grinned, obviously amused. "Or wait; is this one of those 'right place, right time' kind of things? Allow me to handle the introductions. This is Jim Gordon, who- last time I saw him- broke up a circus fight with a badge and a gun. Jim, meet Bruce Lame and his girlfriend. They're both underage, but hey- this is Gotham city."

"Jerome!" Jim hissed. "Quiet!"

"Oh yes, I do tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. And I'm not even wearing sleeves! It's chaos out there, isn't it? I was planning to go out there and join the mayhem when I finished stocking up. This cane belonged to an arsonist named Feng Huang; I think he called himself the Firebird. He's probably out there burning down orphanages; I'm a big fan of his."

 _It's over,_ Bruce thought, as a tall, dark Talon stood at the door. Even Harvey at the door could probably hear Jerome's babbling. All in armour and holding a sword, the Talon took a step forward, and hissed through its owl mask in a deep, raspy voice.

"James Gordon, the Court of Owls had sentenced you to die."

Jim couldn't move. Bruce nudged Selina with his shoulder. Selina looked over at him, a blank expression on her face, and Bruce gestured to one of the lockers near her with his head. It was above her to the left, with the name _Jack Buchinsky_ scrawled on the label. There was no way the Talon wouldn't notice her trying to open it, but maybe if it didn't know what was inside. It was their only hope.

Selina nodded. Jim knew to keep the Talon busy, and kept talking.

"Why me?"

"Your very existence attempts to disrupt the system of Gotham city. You have attempted to take down all the Court of Owls has built, and thus we condemn you to death."

Jerome clapped his hands and laughed. "Welcome to Gotham city!" his laughter forced him to double over and run out of breath. "A guy tries to clean up crime, and the crime tries to clean him up! I am so glad my mom didn't send me to law school! Or maybe she did and they didn't take me?"

"The Court of Owls are not criminals." That was a lucky break. If the Talon hadn't responded to Jerome's heckling, Selina couldn't have opened the locker in time. As fast as she could, her fingers fumbled on the lock and she slammed it open, grabbing the first thing inside. She was lucky. The thing she grabbed was another tesla gun.

She cocked it up and aimed it at the Talon. In the blink of an eye, the Talon lunged at Jim, sword in hand, and Selina pulled the trigger, a bright white burst of lightning shooting from the barrel and hitting the Talon straight in the chest. The ninja was blown to the side on the ground, Jerome cackling hysterically and clapping in amusement.

Selina shot the Talon more in the chest and head, Jim hurrying behind her to grab more weapons from the locker. There were two more guns, as well as a generator, a few pairs of electric gloves, about seven electric bombs, and a few other weapons Jim couldn't name. Buchinsky had a few other lockers in his name, and if the contents were even remotely the same, there was enough to launch a massive attack on the Talons and even cause them to retreat. Jim grabbed a gun and helped Selina shoot the Talon on the ground until it stopped moving. Jerome cackled madly, jumping in the air and kicking the Talon over and over.

Bruce got up, using the wall to lean against. "Now what?"

"We get you two to the Flea." said Jim. "Then, with the GCPD armed with these weapons, we might be able to get the Talons to pull back."

That's when Jerome smacked Jim over the head with the cane, making him double over, vision blurring.

"Ummm, plot hole. If you do that, how am I supposed to prance into city hall and get my face on the one billion dollar bill? No, I think you three should stay here and bleed a little while I go into town and have a little fun."

Selina loaded her tesla gun and shot Jerome in the chest, blasting him backwards onto the ground, twitching.

"Is he dead?" Bruce asked.

"Nah, just a little stunned."

Selina draped her arm back around Bruce, and Jim led the two back to the car. Halfway through, they found Bullock had found his way through the halls with the gun in hand.

"Jim, where the hell have you been? I got one of the Talons, but his friend got inside, are you-" he asked.

Jim put his hand on Harvey's shoulder. "Harvey, there's a bunch of the Electrocutioner's gizmos back there. Take the rest of the cops and we just might be able to stop the Talons."

"How come you hang around children so much now?"

Jim ignored him and headed down the hall back to the police car, Selina and Bruce following him. The sunlight blinded them as Jim led the two out of the gate and opened the door for them, Selina shoving Bruce into the backseat and sitting beside him. Bruce hit the car door, and was fully alert. As fast as he could, Jim started the car so fast, Bruce and Selina were jerked back in their seats, and he drove off to the bridge in Falcone's district.

Bruce and Selina didn't say a word to each other the entire time. Selina managed a timid smile, but that was it. She didn't know what to say to the person that stabbed himself for her. Bruce didn't know what to say either. After some soul searching, he decided on the excuse that Selina felt embarrassed he put so much care into her. That was the most likely option. What if he had intimidated her?

Gotham city whizzed by in the windows. By then, the citizens had gone indoors to hide in their basements, and the mafia members and policemen fighting the Talons had started to dwindle. They were losing hope, and most of them had died or run off for safety. Bodies littered the streets, everyone from innocent housewives and righteous policemen to mafia thugs and corrupt politicians that had been lusting for each other's blood before was on the same side for the first time, and their side was losing.

Selina started to ease into her surroundings as they familiarized themselves with her, and soon she recognized the staircase in the bridge that lead to the street kid hangout. Jim turned to them and nodded.

"I've got to say it again," he said, "You two probably saved Gotham City."

Bruce didn't say anything. Selina shoved the car door open and led him out, not looking back at Jim Gordon as he drove back towards the asylum.

"You good, kid?" she asked.

Bruce nodded. "Yeah. I'll be okay."

Selina grabbed Bruce's arm, now trying to direct him as opposed to supporting him, and lumbered down the steps in the bridge to the Flea. The only other time Bruce had been there was the first time assassins had been after them, and it was bustling with street kids. This time, it seemed like more of an ethereal ghost town. Other than them, the only sounds coming from the basement were a few kids crying over a dead body and hiding. The sounds of battle overhead made the room shudder.

"This place is safe?" Bruce asked.

"Unlike Wayne manor, the Flea is underground, not an officially sanctioned location, and only has one door accessible from the outside that is now locked and barricaded with police cars. We're fine."

The walls looked old and cracked, graffiti scrawled on the concrete. Bruce had seen it before, but the Flea was an entirely different place without the people in it. There was something about it that seemed homely, broken in by the people that lived in it before. Pieces of cloth were spread out on the floor for warmth, and tables were put out to act as dividers.

Selina let Bruce sit down on a chair set in the middle of the room. Bruce caught his breath, slumping against the edge of the chair. The blood loss had run its course, and he was slowly beginning to regain his strength. He didn't say anything, just opting to rest and breath. He did need to get back to Wayne manor, where Alfred was obviously hiding in Thomas Wayne's cave. Bruce told him to.

The sound of tesla guns being shot grew more frequent, and the screams of horror gradually turned into yells of triumph. Selina grinned, turning to Bruce.

"Are you up to a little walk?" she asked.

Bruce stuttered. "Sure."

Selina beckoned him to the end of the room, where a steel grate in the wall was. It had clearly been taken in and out a few times, and Bruce's suspicions were confirmed when Selina took it off and crawled through. Bruce got on his knees and followed through the dark, dusty tunnel.

It wasn't too long, so they didn't go long without light. After a few seconds, the two were greeted by a staircase that wound up to the sunlight. Selina started on the steps, and Bruce followed. She was much faster than him, winding around the staircase like she did almost daily. Finally, Bruce caught up to her and was welcomed with sunlight and a breeze across his face. He was standing on top of the bridge, five stories up, looking over Gotham city.

It was chaos on the streets below. Bodies and blood littered the streets, and the buildings and benches were destroyed. Every few seconds, a burst of bright white light exploded from the streets, and Bruce realized it was the GCPD and mafia taking on the Talons and winning.

Finally, it was over. Talons were being struck down left and right. Victor Zsasz threw an electric bomb into a group of Talons and took them out like bowling pins. Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock stood in the middle of a street back to back, firing away at the Talons with their guns. Butch Gilzean stood outside Oswald's with a pair of electric gloves on, taking out Talons with his bare hands.

Their numbers were thinning out and Gotham was winning.

"It's kind of amazing, isn't it?" Selina asked, breaking the silence of Bruce looking out onto the battlefield. "The chaos, I mean. It has a kind of beauty."

Bruce didn't respond.

Selina slid closer to him, prodding him with her elbow. "Come on. This is what you wanted. We're making a difference in Gotham. We're all on the same side now."

"I can't do this anymore."

Selina narrowed her eyebrows quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Bruce turned to her, a grim look on his face. "We barely made it halfway into the investigation, and the Court of Owls completely destroyed the city. What will they do if I keep going?"

"No, Bruce." Selina put her hand on his shoulder, pretending not to notice him shying away a bit. "Bruce, we're so close. Your parents were killed by a Court member without the Court's consent, so all we have to do is go to city hall. Maybe we can find a record of ex-Court members, or-"

"Selina, I can't. The Court killed my parents. I won't let them take anything else from Gotham ever again." Bruce took a deep breath. "Someone needs to take down the Owls. Maybe it'll be me, or maybe it'll be someone else. Either way, the Court can't do this to Gotham again."

Selina nodded, grunting to agree. A part of her was disappointed in Bruce, and in the city. All they had gone through was for nothing. She didn't feel sympathy like Bruce did. She would've kept going. But Bruce was a true hero.

"Okay, kid." Her response came out as a whisper. "If that's the plan, it's the plan."

"Thank you."

"And listen, B. I know you think this was your fault, but it's not. No one would've done anything differently if they were you."

Bruce turned back to look over the bridge at the retreating Talons. "I know. It was the Owls, and I'm going to get them."

Hours passed, and the Talon attack had ended. The police were collecting the bodies off the streets and returning the weapons to their proper place, deep in the GCPD in case the Court of Owls ever tried anything again. Surprisingly, Jack Buchinsky was given a hero's funeral. The original plan was to dump his body in the streets, but to the shock of everyone in Gotham, city hall had made room for his grave next to Richard Van Groot and Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Gotham was recoiling from the worst attack it had seen in its history so far. News of it spread all over the country, and money from other cities was pooling into it as consolation. Most of it was kept by corrupt politicians and used to fund new gangs, but a few businessmen actually used it for charity. Gotham was slowly recovering.

Bruce was picked up when the sun went down, from the bridge by Alfred, who had joined the fight with electric swords once they had been retrieved from Arkham Asylum. The only cars the Waynes owned had been trashed, and Alfred was driving a taxi. Selina had disappeared into the streets once Alfred arrived, telling Bruce she'd find her way back to Wayne manor. Once Alfred and Bruce arrived at the destroyed Wayne manor, they shared their adventures with each other, taking the time for a good laugh and hug. Bruce had missed Alfred.

Then came the moment when Bruce told Alfred he needed to be alone. Alfred understood completely, not even thinking of the trauma the boy had been through. It wasn't that at all. As soon as Bruce climbed the stairs to his room, he saw Selina tapping at his window.

Bruce slid the window open and Selina crawled inside, smiling.

"Hey, B." she said, like nothing had happened.

Bruce laughed. "Hello, Cat."

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

"Yeah."

Bruce tried backing towards his door, hoping that Selina would follow him. She didn't though, and for a moment, Bruce was worried.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Selina took a deep breath and tried to smile, trying to mask sadness. She didn't like showing Bruce when she was sad. "Listen, Bruce. I'm leaving Gotham for a bit."

"Wh- Why?"

"I need to get away from the chaos and the mayhem for a while, just to get myself back together. I'll be back though, when everything's alright and everyone's happy."

Bruce nodded, closing his eyes to think. Selina Kyle, who jumped out of a window with him, who kissed him that night in his bed, who he stabbed himself for, he took a long look into her green eyes, a rare glint of sadness shining through.

"A while ago," Bruce said, confidently, completely sure of every word, "You asked me to run away with you. You wanted to go to Starling city or Midway or Fawcett city. You said it would be better than here."

Selina didn't say a word.

"There are things I have to do in Gotham." Bruce continued. "There are things I need to do for my parents and my city. But once I'm done that, I'd love to run away with you."

Not one more word was shared between the two. They each knew they meant what they said, and they loved each other. Shining in the moonlight, a billionaire and a street kid, the two pulled each other close for a kiss, the last one for the time being. They kissed each other, sharing each other's warmth and feeling each other's love. It seemed like an eternity, and one they wouldn't want to spend with anyone else.

Then, it was broken, and Selina Kyle disappeared into the night, leaving Bruce to gaze out of his window over Gotham city, feeling nothing but happy. Not love or anger or sadness, just pure happiness.

 **Well everyone, that's it. I hope you enjoyed the story, because writing it was a blast. Next, I will be writing a spinoff short story involving Cat's adventures in Central city and her encounter with a man named Harrison Wells, then after that… Eobard Thawne loves spoiler alerts, so here's the title: Bruce and Cat: Dollmaker's Island…**


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